Dataset Information

Cohort profile: prescriptions dispensed in the community linked to the national cancer registry in England.

ABSTRACT: PURPOSE:The linked prescriptions cancer registry data resource was set up to extend our understanding of the pathway for patients with cancer past secondary care into the community, to ultimately improve patient outcomes. PARTICIPANTS:The linked prescriptions cancer registry data resource is currently available for April to July 2015, for all patients diagnosed with cancer in England with a dispensed prescription in that time frame.The dispensed prescriptions data are collected by National Health Service (NHS) Prescription Services, and the cancer registry data are processed by Public Health England. All data are routine healthcare data, used for secondary purposes, linked using a pseudonymised version of the patient's NHS number and date of birth.Detailed demographic and clinical information on the type of cancer diagnosed and treatment is collected by the cancer registry. The dispensed prescriptions data contain basic demographic information, geography measures of the dispensed prescription, drug information (quantity, strength and presentation), cost of the drug and the date that the dispensed prescription was submitted to NHS Business Services Authority. FINDINGS TO DATE:Findings include a study of end of life prescribing in the community among patients with cancer, an investigation of repeat prescriptions to derive measures of prior morbidity status in patients with cancer and studies of prescription activity surrounding the date of cancer diagnosis. FUTURE PLANS:This English linked resource could be used for cancer epidemiological studies of diagnostic pathways, health outcomes and inequalities; to establish primary care comorbidity indices and for guideline concordance studies of treatment, particularly hormonal therapy, as a major treatment modality for breast and prostate cancer which has been largely delivered in the community setting for a number of years.

SUBMITTER: Henson KE

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6082455 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Cohort profile: prescriptions dispensed in the community linked to the national cancer registry in England.

Henson Katherine E KE Brock Rachael R Shand Brian B Coupland Victoria H VH Elliss-Brookes Lucy L Lyratzopoulos Georgios G Godfrey Philip P Haigh Abigail A Hunter Kelvin K McCabe Martin G MG Mitchell Graham G Monckton Nina N Robson Robert R Round Thomas T Wong Kwok K Rashbass Jem J

BMJ open 20180710 7

<h4>Purpose</h4>The linked prescriptions cancer registry data resource was set up to extend our understanding of the pathway for patients with cancer past secondary care into the community, to ultimately improve patient outcomes.<h4>Participants</h4>The linked prescriptions cancer registry data resource is currently available for April to July 2015, for all patients diagnosed with cancer in England with a dispensed prescription in that time frame.The dispensed prescriptions data are collected by ...[more]

PMID: 29991628

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Project description:PurposePrescription opioids (POs) are widely prescribed for chronic non-cancer pain but are associated with several risks and limited long-term benefit. Large, linked data sources are needed to monitor their harmful effects. We developed and characterised a retrospective cohort of people dispensed POs.ParticipantsWe used a large linked administrative database to create the Opioid Prescribing Evaluation and Research Activities cohort of individuals dispensed POs for non-cancer pain in British Columbia (BC), Canada (1996-2015). We created definitions to categorise episodes of PO use based on a review of the literature (acute, episodic, chronic), developed an algorithm for inferring clinical indication and assessed patterns of PO use across a range of characteristics.Findings to dateThe current cohort includes 1.1 million individuals and 3.4 million PO episodes (estimated to capture 40%-50% of PO use in BC). The majority of episodes were acute (81%), with most prescribed for dental or surgical pain. Chronic use made up 3% of episodes but 88% of morphine equivalents (MEQ). Across the acute to episodic to chronic episode gradient, there was an increasing prevalence of higher potency POs (hydromorphone, oxycodone, fentanyl, morphine), long-acting formulations and chronic pain related indications (eg, back, neck, joint pain). Average daily dose (MEQ) was similar for acute/episodic but higher for chronic episodes. Approximately 7% of the cohort had a chronic episode and chronic pain was the characteristic most strongly associated with chronic PO use. Individuals initiating a chronic episode were also more likely to have higher social/material deprivation and previous experience with a mental health condition or a problem related to alcohol or opioid use. Overall, these findings suggest our episode definitions have face validity and also provide insight into characteristics of people initiating chronic PO therapy.Future plansThe cohort will be refreshed every 2 years. Future analyses will explore the association between POs and adverse outcomes.

Project description:Aim To establish the prevalence of prescriptions dispensed in early pregnancy by maternal age and area deprivation, for women who gave birth in Northern Ireland (NI) 2011–2016. Study design Population-based linked cohort study. Methods The NI Maternity System (NIMATS) database was used to identify all births to resident mothers in NI between 2011 and 2016. Prescriptions dispensed between the last menstrual period (LMP) and the first antenatal care visit (mean 10.7 weeks) (2010–2016) were extracted from the Enhanced Prescribing Database (EPD) which records all prescriptions dispensed by pharmacists in NI. EPD data were linked to NIMATS using the mother’s Health and Care Number. Maternal deprivation based on the NI Multiple Deprivation Measure 2017 was linked using the mother’s postcode. Results The cohort included 139,687 pregnancies resulting in live or stillbirths to 106,206 women. A medication was dispensed in 63.5% of pregnancies, and in 48.7% of pregnancies excluding supplements (vitamins, iron, and folic acid). Folic acid was the most commonly dispensed medication (33.1%). Excluding supplements, the mean number of medications was 1.1, with 4.2% having ≥5 medications. The most common non-supplement medications were antibiotics (13.1%), antiemetics (8.7%), analgesics (6.9%), hormonal medications (6.9%) and antidepressants (6.1%). Younger women (<20 years) had more antibiotics while older women (40+ years) had more antidepressants, cardiovascular, antihypertensives, anticoagulant medications and thyroxine. The proportion of women living in the most deprived areas with prescriptions for antidepressants, sedatives, tranquilisers, analgesics, and anti-epileptic medications was double the proportion of women with these medications in the least deprived areas. Conclusion Half of all pregnant women in NI were dispensed a non-supplement medication between LMP and the first antenatal care visit. Younger and older mothers and those living in the most deprived areas were more likely to have medications dispensed. More antidepressants were dispensed in areas of social deprivation.

Dataset Information

Cohort profile: prescriptions dispensed in the community linked to the national cancer registry in England.

Publications

Cohort profile: prescriptions dispensed in the community linked to the national cancer registry in England.

Similar Datasets

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